Huge and hairy unicorns roamed the Earth longer than thought

Unicorns were real, but they looked nothing like the elegant, shimmering horse-like creatures of fairy tales. Rather, Elasmotherium sibiricum, or the ‘Siberian unicorn,’ was shaggy and closer to the size of a steppe mammoth, which is even bigger than a woolly mammoth. Whatever its appearance, scientists from Tomsk State University recently discovered that it lived far more recently than we previously thought.

Paleontologist Andrey Shpanski, one of the writers of the paper detailing the find, explained the skull was found in a location where the Siberian unicorn would have migrated. He said,“Most likely, the south of Western Siberia was a refúgium, where this rhino persevered the longest in comparison with the rest of its range”.

“Our research makes adjustments in the understanding of the environmental conditions in the geologic time in general,” said Shpanski. “Understanding of the past allows us to make more accurate predictions about natural processes in the near future – it also concerns climate change.”

The scientists believe the skull belonged to a large, older male. They also found fossils from steppe mammoths, woolly mammoths, and bison in the area.